Chapter 10 medical terms Flashcards
Acrophobia
is an excessive fear of heights
Alzheimer’s disease
(AD) is a group of disorders involving the parts of the brain that control thought, memory, and language. Leading form of dementia
Amyotropic lateral sclerosis
(ALS) AKA Lou Gehrig’s disease, is a rapidly progressive neurological disease that attacks the nerve cells responsible for controlling voluntary muscles
Anesthetic
is a medication used to induce anesthesia. The anesthetic may be tropical, local, regional, or general
Anesthetist
is a medical professional who specializes in administering anesthesia but is not a physician. For example, a nurse anesthetist
Anorexia nervosa
is characterized by a false perception of body appearance. This leads to an intense fear of gaining weight and inability to maintain a healthy body weight
Anxiety disorders
Are mental conditions characterized by excessive, irrational dread of everyday situations or fear that is out of proportion to the real danger in a situation
Autism spectrum disorder
(ASD) describes a condition with different levels of symptom severity in which a young child has difficulty developing normal social relationship and communication skills, may compulsively follow repetitive routines, and has narrowly focused, intense interests that are sometimes unusual
Bell’s palsy
is the temporary paralysis of the seventh cranial nerve that caused paralysis of the face, only on the affected side
Carotid ultrasonography
is an ultra sound study of the carotid artery. This diagnostic test is performed to detect plaque buildup in the artery to predict or diagnose an ischemic stroke
Causalgia
is persistent, severe burning pain that usually follows an injury to a sensory nerve
Cerebral contusion
is the bruising of brain tissue as the result of a head injury that causes the brain to bounce against the rigid bone of the skull
Cerebral Palsy
(CP) is a group of disorders characterized by poor muscle control, spasticity, speech defects, and other neurologic deficiencies due to damage that affects the cerebrum
Cerebrovascular accident
(CVA) AKA stroke, is brain damage that occurs when blood flow to the brain is disrupted because a blood vessel is either blocked or has ruptured
Cervical radiculopathy
is nerve pain caused by pressure on the spinal nerve roots in the neck region
Claustrophobia
is an abnormal fear of being in small or enclosed spaces
Cognition
describes the mental activities associated with thinking, learning, and memory
Coma
is a profound (deep) state of unconsciousness marked by the absence of spontaneous eye movements, no response to painful stimuli, and the lack of speech
Concussion
is a violent shaking up or jarring of the brain. A concussion may result in a temporary loss of awareness and function
Cranial hematoma
is a collection of blood trapped in the tissues of the brain
Delirium
is an acute condition of confusion, disorientation, disordered thinking and memory, agitation, and hallucination
Delirium tremens
(DTs) is a disorder involving sudden and severe mental changes or seizures caused by abruptly stopping the use of alcohol
Delusion
is a false personal belief that is maintained despite obvious proof or evidence to the contrary
Dementia
is a slowly progressive decline in mental abilities, including memory, thinking and judgement, that is often accompanied by personality changes
Multiple sclerosis
(MS) is a progressive autoimmune disorder characterized by inflammation that caused demyelination of myelin sheath. This scars the brain, spinal cord, and optic nerves and disrupts the transmission of nerve impulses. This damage leaves the patient with varying degrees of pain plus physical and cognitive problems
Myelography
is a fluoroscopic and CT study of the spinal cord after the injection of a contrast medium through a lumbar puncture
Narcolepsy
is a sleep disorder consisting of sudden and uncontrollable brief episodes of falling asleep during the day
Neurotransmitters
are chemical substances that make it possible for messages to cross from the synapse of a neuron to the target receptor
Obsessive-compulsive disorder
(OCD) is characterized by recurrent obsessions (repetitive, intrusive, distressing thoughts or impulses) and/or compulsions (repeatedly feeling compelled to do things, like wash or count)
Panic attack
is an unexpected, sudden experience of fear in the absence of danger, accompanied by physical symptoms such as heart palpitations, shortness of breath, chest tightness, dizziness, sweating, nausea, feelings of unreality, choking sensations, or a combination of these. A panic attack is unneeded activation of the body’s fight or flight response
Hemorrhagic stroke
AKA a bleed, occurs when a blood vessel in the brain leaks, A bleed also occurs when an aneurysm within the brain ruptures
Hydrocephalus
is a condition in which excess cerebrospinal fluid accumulates in the ventricles of the brain
Hyperesthesia
is a condition of abnormal and excessive sensitivity to touch, pain, or other sensory stimuli
ischemic stroke
which is the most common type of stroke in older people, occurs when the flow of blood to the brain is blocked by the narrowing or blockage of an artery
lethargy
is a lowered level of consciousness marked by listless, drowsiness, and apathy. As used here, apathy means indifference and a reduced level activity
Meningitis
aka infectious meningitis, is an inflammation of the meninges of the brain and spinal cord
Meningocele
is the congenital herniation of the meninges through a defect in the skull or spinal column
Migraine headache
which may be preceded by a warning aura, is characterized by throbbing pain on one side of the head
Myelitis
is an inflammation of the spinal cord that most commonly occurs in children after a viral infection, and causes muscle weakness and decreased reflexes, similar to polio
Dura mater
is the thick, tough, outermost membrane of the meninges
Dyslexia
also known as developmental reading disorder, is a learning disability characterized by substandard reading achievement due to the inability of the brain to process symbols correctly
Electroencephalography
(EEG) is the process of recording the electrical activity of the brain through the use of electrodes attached to scalp
Encephalitis
an inflammation of the brain, can be caused by a viral infection such as rabies
Epidural anesthesia
is regional anesthesia produced by injecting medication into the epidural space of the lumbar or sarcal region of the spine
Epilepsy
is a chronic neurological condition characterized by recurrent episodes of seizures of varying severity. Also known as seizure disorder, epilepsy can usually be controlled with medication
Factitious disorder
is a condition in which an individual acts as if he or she has a physical or mental illness when he or she is not really sick
Hallucination
is a sensory perception experienced in the absence of external stimulation
Parasomnia
is a general term for several categories of sleep disorders that occur while falling asleep, during sleep, or while waking from sleep
Paresthesia
refers to a burning or prickling sensation with no apparent physical cause that is usually felt in the hands, arms, legs, or feet but can also occur in other parts of the body
Parkinson’s disease
(PD) is a chronic, degenerative central nervous disorder characterized by fine muscle tremors, rigidity, and slow or shuffling gait
Peripheral neuropathy
is a disorder of the peripheral nerves that carry information to and from the brain and spinal cord
Post-traumatic stress disorder
(PTSD) may develop after an event involving acute or threatened death or injury to the individual or someone else, during which the person felt intense fear, helplessness, or horror
Reye’s syndrome
(RS) is serious and potentially deadly disorder in children that is characterized by vomiting and confusion. This syndrome sometimes follow a viral illness in which the child was treated with aspirin
Schizophrenia
is a psychotic disorder usually characterized by withdrawal from reality, illogical patterns of thinking, delusions, and hallucinations and accompanied in varying degrees by other emotional, behavioral or intellectual disturbances
Sciatica
is inflammation of the sciatic nerve caused by pressure on the nerve roots that results in pain, burning, and tingling along the course of the affected nerve through the thigh, leg, and sometimes into the foot
Seizure
(sz) is a sudden surge of electrical activity in the brain that affects how a person feels or acts for a short time. Some seizures can hardly be noticed, whereas others cause a brief loss of consciousness
Shaken baby syndrome
describes the results of child being violently shaken by someone. This action can cause brain injury, blindness, fractures, seizures, paralysis, and death
Syncope
AKA fainting, is the brief loss of consciousness caused by the decreased flow of blood to the brain
Tremor
is a repetitive, involuntary muscle movement usually involving the hands, arms, head, or face. There are multiple types of tremors, which cause different types of movements and can be differentiated by their causes and presentation
Trigeminal neuralgia
is a chronic pain condition characterized by severe lighting-like pain due to an inflammation of the fifth cranial nerve
